← Back to NASA Technology Projects
Active TRL 4 (started at 4, targeting 5)
Exploring the Impact of Surface Properties on Cryogenic Boiling and Quenching at Reduced Gravity through High-Fidelity Measurements aims to advance cryogenic fluid management (CFM) systems crucial for various missions in space exploration, including nuclear and chemical propulsion systems, fuel depots, and ascent and descent stages. It will investigate surface enhancements to improve performance of quenching and boiling processes during long-term cryogenic storage and transfer while developing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models for accurate simulation.
Problem Statement Cryogenic systems offer superior performance but require a deep understanding of cryogenic liquid-vapor phase change phenomena and accurate modeling for design optimization. Poor CFM design models can increase risk and result in higher margins and safety factors on insulation and stored mass, leading to higher launch mass and costs. CFD tools adopting mesoscale mechanistic sub-models of these phenomena have the potential to alleviate these issues, but while such mesoscale mechanistic sub-models provide flexible and generalized physics-based closures of the disparate boiling processes, their accuracy and robustness are tied to the availability of data for fundamental boiling parameters and macroscopic parameters. Until such data is available, there will be large uncertainty associated with CFD model predictions of cryogenic fluid storage or transfer in microgravity.
Technology Maturation Experiments will be conducted in reduced gravity conditions using a specialized cryogenic apparatus that enables sophisticated diagnostic techniques of backlit shadowgraphy and phase detection measurements. These experiments are designed to allow the quantification of parameters related to boiling and quenching heat transfer, including nucleation site density, bubble growth time, detachment frequency, and more. The collected data will be utilized to improve mesoscale, mechanistic two-phase heat transfer sub-models, which can be integrated into NASA's CFD codes to simulate complex phenomena such as tank pressurization, liquid acquisition devices (LADs), line chilldown, tank chilldown, and tank filling and transfer.
Summary of Flight Test
We conducted experiments to study the quenching of cryogenic fluids on different surfaces using specialized diagnostics that enable imaging of the boiling process at the microscale in both time and space. The results of these experiments are crucial for understanding the behavior of cryogenic fuels in microgravity conditions and will support the design and development of future in-space cryogenic storage and transfer systems.
- Efficient: Enables more efficient cryogenic fluid management and storage
- Economic: Allows further mass margin savings in cryogenic propulsion systems
Future Customers
- CFD modeling tools for cryogenic propulsion system design
- Commercial launch companies (e.g., Blue Origin)
Listed on TechPort itself — the most direct way to ask about this specific project.
This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.
None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.